MacLeed's Gun Shop

Admin wrote:A small gunshop with hunting supplies and some military surplus goods. It was robbed recently and has been closed down for the past month, putting poor MacLeed into near bankruptcy.

A two story brick building with a pair of bow windows in the front, with a barred door serving as the entrance. Windows line the front and right side of the building, and the building is snugly built beside two other similar brick buildings at either side of it, making MacLeed's the literal corner store gun shop of Clemens Street.  


September 24th, 1998...
Earlier that day...

---

Riley MacLeed unpacked the shrink wrapped boxes of .50AE JHP and sets them inside the ammo drawer for the large pistol munitions behind the long oak counter. The glass display not too far from the ammo drawer contained various handguns, from more contemporary handguns to classics like 1911's and older revolvers from the 50's and 60's. In the same display case were a collection of various hunting knives and vintage combat knives Michael MacLeed liked to display for Raccoon City's Veterans Association. There were racks with various rifles and shotguns lining the walls in front of the counter, as well as behind it. However, there were fewer in number than usual, as many of the weapons were still in evidence lock up at the RPD since the robbery...

Riley sighed, looking at the mostly sparse walls now. On the eighth of this month, $800 dollars was stolen from their safe, alongside 20 or so guns. Overall, more than $12,000 worth of property was taken from MacLeed's thanks to Riley's forgetfulness to lock up. Her father had suffered a heart attack after being prodded at gunpoint, but thankfully his condition has improved since his transfer to Chicago. "Ahh.. what a pain." She moaned, unpacking more of the crate's materials. In the area in front of the shop, various coat racks hung hunting gear- reflective orange or red vests, hats, jackets. There were also camouflage and military surplus clothing, like flak vests, helmets, canteens and military rigs such as belts and backpacks. Holsters were also on display, for rifles, pistols, you name it. The two bow windows which allowed Riley to see out to the street were stencilled in big reed and blue letters:




The displays behind the glass had racks lined with antique firearms, and even an elephant gun to show off the fact that they reproduced some antique or hard to find ammunition. They also sold semi-automatic AR15's and MAC-10's, IMI UZI Pistols for people who wanted to spurt ammo carelessly. They saw to the equipment of some police officers, but most of the RPD went to their competitor, Gunshop Kendo, who manufacture the RPD's weapons and supplies.

She took a look around the shop, then out to the street. It was foggy out, and silent as the grave, save for some of those sirens she heard earlier coming from the Hospital's direction. Some sort of riot took place on the other side of town at the big game, but she didn't get the details, only half listened to the broadcast on the radio. The radio had gotten too fuzzy to listen to, so she turned it off before she could get some facts. "Probably gotta repair that too now thinking of it..." She sighed, walking over to the barred doorway to the shop and flipped the sign over to close. "I don't think anyone's going to come in today... I should pack the Harley and head out to see Dad..." She spoke her thoughts, turning to the back room behind the counter that served as her father's office. There was also a door to the right of the counter which lead up stairs to the small apartment she and her father shared.

She was past the door leading upstairs, walking behind the counter when she heard the steel bell above the door ringing. She turned automatically to face the person who entered, and already made a mental groan for forgetting to lock the door... again. However, she noticed something odd about the figure who entered, and it made her heart sink and skin feel balmy. He was covered head to toe in sweat, his curly brown hair a mess and dripping as if it had been raining outside! His skin a deep pinkish red, as if he had eaten the worlds hottest chilli pepper or had been running for a full mile without stopping for breath! He was distraught, hunkered over, hands on his knees, wheezing. "Hey, did you see the sign? We're closed." She began, her voice friendly but direct. The guy shambled forwards, and looked around. His eyes were red, alert, and frantically glazing over the store's merchandise, seemingly unaware of her presence.

Oh God... he's tweaking or something isn't he? Her stomach churned. This was not what she needed right now; some druggie entering her shop to buy a gun. Not one bit. She silently slipped into her father's office, wordlessly heading over to the phone on his desk and began to dial the RPD's number, when she heard the crash of glass. A chill ran up her spine, as she sets the phone down on the desk, and turned to the store front. Fucking Christ on a stick... She thought, her mind imagining the ass hole breaking the display for her guns! She turned to the file cabinet beside the door leading back into the store, and opens the top shelf. Her heart was racing, that feeling of fight or flight reaction taking over as she pulls her custom .357 Magnum from within. Please God, don't me use this... She thought, gulping back the stress while loading the weapon's six chambers with .357 JHP rounds. She gulped again, and enters the store's entrance, finding the guy checking through the ammunition drawers, with a Smith and Wesson in his hand from the display case.

She rose her magnum, levelling it towards his chest.



"I've called the RPD! They're on their way now!" Riley spat, her voice as calm as she could make it. The man stopped, turning slowly to her with a horrified expression on his face, as if suddenly realizing the severity of his actions, before an odd, glimmer of humour crossed his wide, red eyes. "Hahaha...." He laughed, shaking his head. "Good! Not that it will matter! This world's gone crazy!" He laughed hysterically, which only unnerved Riley further. She heard movement to the right, and looked to the store front, the bell ringing as another person came stumbling into the shop, followed by another! Both people looked just as worse for wear as this guy, and both were scrambling to the gun racks and tearing through the displays like hyena's tearing into the corpse of a wildebeest! She was dumbfounded, as she watched her weapons being taken from the racks, while someone outside smashed one of the bow windows, setting off the security alarm! "What the fuck?!" She screamed, the looters running off with her store's goods, destroying her father's property! The man she was aiming at was running for the door, someone screaming "They're coming!" in the chaos of the alarm! She shot the gun at the ceiling above the looter's heads, before training her aim again at them. "Drop it! Or I'll fucking shoo-"

BANG!  

A gunshot from outside startled her, causing her to shoot the 'druggie' in the chest! Another gunshot followed as she turned the weapon to the next of the looters, and then the last who managed to stumble out of the shop! She panted heavily, the .357's barrel smoking as the moments replayed itself in her head in an instant. Blood splattering the door, screaming, the sound of dead weight hitting the forest green carpet. The ringing in her ears drowning out the security alarm. She blinked, her D cup chest rising and falling heavily as she panted, her mouth dry as she walks around the counter and inspects the two bodies on the ground. The man who had entered first was lying on his back, eyes focused at the ceiling, spasming. Blood bubbled from his lips as he twitched, the wound to his right lung fatal and now staining the carpet beneath with a pool of blood. The guy beside him was young, a wound to his lower back, crawling on his arms for the door, screaming in pain! While the one who managed to get outside had leaned up against a vehicle for support. She felt sick to her stomach... she just killed a man and maimed two others... Two more people arrived, reaching into the exposed window to grab at the antique weapons on display, when she noticed one of them was a cop! "Officer!" She screamed, and when the man looked up at her, pulled his weapon out and aimed it at her direction! She went a further shade of white, backing up. "W-wait! I'm the owner here! They were looting!" She screamed, shivering at the sight of his Browning HiPower pointing at her chest! He was screaming something about 'ammo' and a danger, but she couldn't make it out over the sound of the alarm. She could see his eyes become impatient, and his finger slowly squeezing back on the trigger- when the looter beside him pulled his shoulder! BANG!

A bullet tore through the air beside her left thigh, and Riley quickly lunged for cover, knocking over a coat rack filled with hunting vests which toppled over her in the process. Her light brown eyes snapped back to the officer as he turned his aim on someone out of sight, and he fired wildly! The looter who had pulled his arm was running down the street towards her left, past the second bow window and slipped out of sight, screaming! The other looter who had been using the car parked out front for support screamed, and the other one she had shot had managed to get back to his feet in the doorway to the shop, when... a man in an overcoat jumped onto the policeman!

Riley blinked, eyes wavering. She had seen the officer shoot the man's chest twice, saw exit wounds leave the pouncing man's back before he had taken the officer down! The surviving looters were screaming, trying to hobble off when a woman in a pink tank shambled past the fallen officer and dove onto the looter she had shot in the back in the doorway! He fell into the shop with her, the shop filling with the sound of screaming, snarling, the a security alarm's bleating bell! Riley felt very small, confused, and scared as she watched the last of the looters hobble away, trailing blood behind him, walking into the middle of the street only to be hit by a speeding SUV! She gasped, hearing the man's body smack against the speeding vehicle, which had to be well past 80 miles per hour, blood splashing the vehicle's front end as the vehicle swerved, careened and tumbled into a residential building's entrance. A long, droning horn came from the direction of the crash- the numerous noises combined with the 9mm gunfire from the struggling officer's weapon out of sight put Riley into a sensation overload!  

What the fuck is happening?! What's the fuck's going on?! She asked herself, gripping the hunting jacket beneath her, her eyes turning to the dying screams of the looter lying in the entrance way. Crunch, pop... munch... splick... Odd, queasy noises, followed by a shuttering female moan came from the direction. The sound was ghastly, an inhuman tone that she didn't think was possible till she heard it again. Her spine tingled with fear, as the munching continued for a moment before the sound of something dragging its leg. The woman appeared in her view, blood running down her jaw like a fountain, across her neck and staining her tight pink shirt shambled forward. She had blond hair in a low, messy ponytail and wore a denim skirt. She looked no older than 19. She stumbled forwards with her stained shirt jiggling, her breasts bobbing as she turned to the man Riley had killed. Riley remained motionless beneath her tiny curtain of bright orange hunting accessories, feeling very exposed. The woman's skin was pale, and her eyes seemed vacant... white even. She turned to the dead man beneath her, and dropped to her knees like a child, dead weight hitting the carpet hard enough that even Riley winced, there was solid hardwood under this thin carpet after all! But what made Riley more sickened was what happened next.

The woman dropped her mouth to the man's face, and began...eating him. The crunch of bone and sickening wet tearing of muscle and flesh made Riley want to puke. She covered her mouth with her left elbow and slowly backed up to the rack of weapons behind her, back crawling out of fear. The alarm still blaring off around her, and would do so for another fifteen minutes, her heart pounding as she watched as this woman chowed down on the man she had killed! Why is she doing that?! What the fuck man?!! She thought, her lips trembling her left hand gripping the rack behind her for support, sending a few of the unloaded shotguns to the floor with a loud BANG!

The woman in the pink shirt stopped eating. Her head, slowly turned to face Riley, and the red head realized... that this woman's eyes were as white as she was pale! She felt a chill run down her spine, her heart beating rapidly as the woman raised from her meal, sinew and flesh still being torn away from the dead man's neck with a sickening rubber POP. She stared at Riley with her vacant gaze, moaning as she stumbled forwards with two out stretched hands gleaming with blood, moaning hungrily at her! Riley began to panic, kicking her legs out, scrambling to her feet, the pistol still firmly grasped in her hand as she raised it at the woman's face, sweat rolling down her neck and forehead. "Stay back!" She screamed, thinking to herself of how many shots she fired.

One into roof, three into the looters... She gulped, and like the man Riley killed, seemed to not take notice of the loaded weapon. She heard more movement to her right, as the man in the overcoat leaned back, and slowly craned his pale, blood smeared face towards Riley as well! Though what terrified her about the man in the overcoat was that he was missing the flesh surrounding his right cheek! Blood trickled down from exposed muscle and teeth, giving him a glasglow smile on one side of his head! His eyes as white as snow, cataract. Empty. Devoid of life. Riley heard a hissing moan to her left, and turned to see the open jaws of the teenager fill her vision! "NO!" Riley screamed, ducking, forcing her shoulder into the woman's buoyant chest, sending her stumbling backwards! She rose her gun, and fired a round into the woman's chest, twice. Blood bursts from each wound, blooming into spurts from her stained pink shirt, and the force of each bullet caused her to fall onto her back.

Riley gulped dryly, turning to the man in the overcoat now, her eyes trembling as she realized she killed another... but why, why wasn't he fleeing?! She heard movement to her left again, and with horror, watched as the woman picked herself back up again! "No... that's impossible!" She cried, when the sound of glass to her right made her aware that the man in the overcoat was climbing into her store! She looked between both freaks, before turning to the counter sprinting for it! She slid over the polished oak surface, falling to her knees behind it and slid open the ammo drawer! Boxes upon boxes of ammunition lay out before her, over 10,000 rounds of various munitions for rifles, pistols, shotguns, you name it. She pulled out one of the boxes of .357 she had just packed away, swinging open the crane of her revolver and tipped the gun back, spilling six spent brass casings to the floor with multiple clinking against the interior of the drawer. She tore open the box, her eyes darting from the ammunition to the woman and man shambling throughout her shop! "Not like this, not here... not in my house.." she spat, loading the chambers frantically, spilling rounds onto the floor as she nervously slammed the cylinder closed, and took aim again!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The the gun jumped in her shaky hands, bullets tearing through the woman's shoulder, heart, neck... the shoulder blew off, the heart was exposed... she was still walking till her neck slumped back, her head rolling off her shoulders thanks to the powerful wound! With a wet plop, the former human fell into a pool of gore, while her head rolled off out of sight. Riley grimaced at such gore, she never wanted to see such horrors with firearms, but for the sake of her own survival she turned her weapon to the man in the over coat and shot him in the heart as well. He stumbled back from the blow... and she noticed a trend. His multiple wounds were fatal for humans... but he was like a bear, taking the brunt of the damage but feeling nothing. His lifeless eyes staring back at her blankly as a hole the size of her fist was where his heart had been...

They're... dead....they're already dead! Her mind came to the realization, and she raised the weapon higher:

BANG!

The head exploded like a melon, gore and brain matter flying all over the room before the former man fell over and laid in a pool of his own blood...

She stands there, gun smoking in her hands, her wrist aching... staring down at the carnage. The security bell suddenly stops, and the only sound now is the droning tone of the SUV across the street crashed into the residential building. Riley closes her eyes, lowering the gun with shaky hands. In the next moment, she began to dry heave, swallowing back the bile lurching up her throat. She covered her mouth, taking a step back into the office where she couldn't hold it in any longer and puked into the waste bin beside the door. She lifted her head, wiping her mouth with her shirt and leaned against the wall... her head turning to the phone. She had called the police, but left them on the line. She walked briskly to the phone and lifted it to her ear. Her expression became forlorn... there was nothing. No dial tone. Just open air. It was like someone had answered, but left the phone unhooked... but it was too silent, no sound of movement behind the receiver. She hung up, and when she tried again, there was nothing at all. It was as if the line was cut! "Oh God..." she whispered to herself, the gun still hot in her hand, as she looks back to the entrance. What if the city is entirely enveloped in this mess? She asked herself, and realized that her best chance of survival was to take care of that window...

---

She reloaded her .357, tucking it behind her jeans above her ass, feeling the hot barrel poking between the pale blue denim and her pink panties. She slipped a leather holster to her belt, just above her right hip, with a pair of side packs. Since the M9 was becoming the new standard firearm in the city, she took a sleek black Beretta from the shop's display and slid a fresh fifteen round magazine into the mag well and two more into the side packs, before sliding the weapon into its new brown leather holster. She took a Browning Auto-5 from the wall and loaded it with alternating slugs and shot, with a slug in the chamber. When she had first stepped out to the street, she felt as if a thousand eyes had been staring at her. The policeman who nearly shot her was dead, his throat torn and what remained of his face staring up at the sky. His handgun was empty, and he had no other ammunition on him, not that she needed it. She dragged the bodies from her shop out to the street, tossing the head of that woman with disgust by her blond strands. They really were like the movies... walking corpses. She was way past thinking she was dreaming now.

She saw two other of these shambling creatures walking towards the SUV, who turned their trajectory as soon as they spotted Riles. They were bloody, and one even had a missing arm and took note that they were slow, taking their time to shuffle towards her on numb legs. She took both out with only one shell each, the slug acting like a rifle bullet as it pierced through one's skull, while the buckshot at a reasonably close range tore the other's head apart in a gory red mist. She continued over to the crashed SUV, where the driver still slumped over the wheel; her fat body putting weight on the horn. The creatures were drawn by the noise, and she was also getting a headache from the monotonous tone. She broke the side window away with the butt of the shotgun, then cut the seatbelt with a hunting knife, before unlocking and opening the door so that she could pull the fat woman out. She had cracked her head wide open, fragments of glass embedded deep into her right eye, her mouth still twisted in a look of fear. Soon she was flopped against the ground, Riley managing to pull the old girl out of her seat and in turn stop the incessant drone of the horn. She checked the vehicle for supplies, before running back to the shop for an empty water canister, the kind you'd hook up to your jeep for a long drive into the desert, and began siphoning the gas from the SUV.

While she did this, there were a few people wandering the streets, confused as to what was going on. "Where is the police?!" "She's got a gun!" "Whats going on here?!" Were among a number of concerns, and those who did dare approach her she was kind enough to explain. "I dunno, my shop just got raided by lunatics, stay indoors and lock your doors, bar your windows, people are eating people!" She had replied on numerous occasions throughout those first few hours. There were few who took her seriously, others who felt offended for some reason, and for those a good wave of one of her guns was enough to fend them off. She had to fire a warning shot when someone approached her with a knife. It was getting out of hand... there were people on this street who were beginning to realize that the city was in some sort of state, and she was a beacon of hope. Or rather, her shop was. She could see the greedy look in some of their eyes as they approached her while she worked on the windows, boarding up the first story windows with planks made up of some of the gun racks, and blocking off the shattered window with one of her bigger rifle displays, tying it down with rope and nails. She did not want to make enemies.

The first person she gave a weapon to was a man and his wife, who entered the doorway of the shop and nearly got blown apart by her shotgun. They had a child, so she couldn't just send them away empty handed, but she was in no way going to be able to sustain more than just herself in this shop. She was waiting till the police were able to do something, or till more info came her way. She traded a Ruger for such information, as an older man told her that something had gone down at St. Michael's Stadium. Whatever was happening seemed to have started there. The RPD were also scattered across the city, unable to keep in contact with one another due to some sort of city wide communications blackout. It seemed to her that something bigger was at large here, but she wasn't going to leave the shop to find out. No... she wasn't going to let the shop get looted again...

At one point, the streets got loud. Very loud. Gunfire, left and right, the citizens were shooting these... 'zombies' as they came forth in small hordes. In this recent wave of activity, she had spotted the officer, and the man she had killed walking among them. The dead returned to the living, at least if the zombies had eaten them. The fat woman was still motionless across the street, but the zombies began to chow down on her. Riley watched in silence, the survivors on the street taking the zombies with them, their gunfire alerting them, causing them to follow. After that, Clemens street became very quiet. She took that time to set up bear traps in the street in front of her establishment, fortifying the door with sheet metal and planking, blocking the other bow window and removing the firearms from the front displays. She siphoned the fuel from the vehicles around the shop, and made a 'V' shaped blockade at either side of the store front by hotwiring two large trucks and parking them in such a manner. This made it so that any approaching horde would be forced to enter a choke point, which would allow Riley to make short work of those who tried to enter her shop. That was between two rows of bear traps, and blacked iron spikes jutting from the windows of both vehicles. She almost was careless, as the sun came down, she almost forgot about the bear traps and nearly stepped into one upon finishing up! Though the hospital was nearby, she didn't think the doctors were going to be of much help now.

She closed the door to the fortified shop around 5 pm. The rays of the sun were the only light spilling through the windows of the first floor, cascading their light upon a drastically changed gunshop interior. Weapons whose racks were sacrificed were lain across the counter, all loaded and ready for use. Riley had spent much of her time to loading shells, counting munitions, making cartridges from the spent shells in the back, and making makeshift weapons. She would be able to escape through the rooftops, as they connected to the buildings next door in a worst case scenario. This... 'infection' was seemingly limited to humans... or so she thought. As she went up to the second floor to bring down the couch to the main floor for some semblance of comfort while she guarded her hoard of weaponry and munitions, she spotted dogs through the upper floor's set of windows. Bleeding, foaming at the mouth dogs wandering the street, swaying as they walked like they had rabies... she checked with a Remington 700 chambered in .223 with a high powered scope to observe the beasts...

"By God... it affects pets too..." She said with a dry voice, shouldering the hunting rifle, barrel jutting from the open window of the upstairs living room before pulling the trigger. The dog fell over, sending the other into a panic, it barked and alerted two others she didn't see who were hiding in the hedges across the street. They seemed to be smarter, more wolf like in their hunting patterns. It took twelve .223 cartridges to kill the small pack, which now lay in the street with blood pooled beneath them. She had closed the window and resumed her move to the shop downstairs. She felt fortified, and unless those things were capable of flight, or driving a Semi into the left wall of the shop, she was going to be fine...

---

September 24th, 1998...
Present time... 8:05 PM

Riley lays on the couch in the center of the gunshop. The flickering of candle light was her only source of light. She had turned off the lights to the shop, sitting in silence otherwise in the hours since she killed those zombie dogs. The sound of screams, distant gunfire continued now and then... but mostly, the ghastly chorus of moans and groans on the howling wind was what filled the night air. She had only a few other encounters with survivors, one scrawny guy managed to get past her defences, only to reach her locked door. He pounded on it desperately, but she slipped the barrel of her shotgun out the mail slot at his chest and that shut him up. He left without further trouble. Another... perhaps even the same guy, had actually shot at her door. She returned fire and didn't know if she hit him, or not... but they didn't shoot back after three shots from her Auto-5. The only other was a woman screaming in the street, being pinned down by a zombie, and Riley had taken it out with the Remington. The woman managed to get back to her feet, covered in its gore though, but was able to walk away relatively unscathed.

She closed her eyes, not able to sleep, but wanting to... she was scared. Scared to death. She wondered if this was nation wide... was there a point to living if it was? She couldn't think such dark thoughts now, especially since her father... God she hoped her father was all right. She turned her head, her eyes focusing on the blood stains on the floor. How many people did she kill in one day? Where were the police? The damn US Army? What was happening outside...? She didn't know. She got paranoid with the theories, taking the tropes from horror movies and comics, and ruled out blood to skin contact as an infection point. If so, she'd have been hangry for brains and flesh right now... unless it took time. Couldn't take too long though, as the cop and that guy she shot were moving not too long after she dragged their bodies away from the shop. Biting seemed to be the main point... but was there other ways? She kept away from tap water, stuck to the bottled stuff and packaged food. There wasn't much in the house.. perhaps enough for a few days. Since her father's diet changed to hospital food in Chicago, she only bought enough food for herself in the mean time. A decision she'd feel like she'd regret in the coming days, she supposed.

Her eyes turned to the door at the sound of gunfire. It was close, in the direction of Victory Park, the Clock Tower... Hospital Area. She sat up, shotgun at the ready. The gunfire seemed to get louder, distant barking and yelping followed. A loud battle cry of sorts. "What the hell is that?" She asked the air, her voice sounding weird to her, having not spoken in a few hours. She gets behind the counter, setting the shotgun on her makeshift gun rest, the barrel trained at the locked door, her lips turning to the flickering candle. She closed her eyes for a moment or two... then blew the candle out. When her eyes got adjusted to the dark, she could make out the details of her her door. Street lamps outside glowed in a hazy light through the boarded up windows to the left side of the shop, since both bow windows were now blocked and reinforced. She could still feel a cool breeze rush through the broken window however, and the sound of gunfire was less muffled because of it. It was getting closer... more survivors, bringing the horde in her direction. Riley hoped they would pass by...but she was ready to make a stand, just in case...

(Continued from here)

Edgar and Carrie emerged from the corner from the Park Road, and thats when Ed urged Carrie "Ok, try to keep gunfire to a minimum before we reach the store. We want to minimize the amount of infected who follow us. Here - " he said as he reached into his pockets and fished out several of the sharp implements from the barbers shop, a hand razor and several hair shears and scissors, along with a few hand razors. Makeshift weapons - not ideal, but they would help reduce the noise, and Ed certainly would not make such a proposal had he not known of Carrie's combat ability.

As they crossed the road, Ed had to make use of another makeshift weapon, this time he tore the hood plate off of a wrecked car, and used it as a huge blade, slicing through a few of the infected, before throwing the thing like a discus into the distance, hoping to draw the hungry dead away from their location, and their destination. He slowly backed away as the distant sound of crashing metal where the hood landed drew the attention of the Zombies, who turned and started shambling towards the disturbance. No sudden movements, slow and deliberate, they inched their way towards the store. Once they were at a sufficient distance, both Carrie and Ed were able to safely walk to the store door...

Edgar Holden wrote:(Continued from here)

Edgar and Carrie emerged from the corner from the Park Road, and thats when Ed urged Carrie "Ok, try to keep gunfire to a minimum before we reach the store. We want to minimize the amount of infected who follow us. Here - " he said as he reached into his pockets and fished out several of the sharp implements from the barbers shop, a hand razor and several hair shears and scissors, along with a few hand razors. Makeshift weapons - not ideal, but they would help reduce the noise, and Ed certainly would not make such a proposal had he not known of Carrie's combat ability.

As they crossed the road, Ed had to make use of another makeshift weapon, this time he tore the hood plate off of a wrecked car, and used it as a huge blade, slicing through a few of the infected, before throwing the thing like a discus into the distance, hoping to draw the hungry dead away from their location, and their destination. He slowly backed away as the distant sound of crashing metal where the hood landed drew the attention of the Zombies, who turned and started shambling towards the disturbance. No sudden movements, slow and deliberate, they inched their way towards the store. Once they were at a sufficient distance, both Carrie and Ed were able to safely walk to the store door...

She looked at them with a slight annoyed look, before she handed them back. "I won't need them... they're too ineffective for me, give me a combat knife however... then we'll get somewhere. Besides, its not like they run, it be a different story if that was the case." She says before he showed off his strength again. "Hey! what I say about showing your strength? You're gonna freak out survivors with that..." She whispered with a sigh. She turned to the shop in question, and obviously Ed had not give the gun store a proper glance over... then again, it was pretty big.

"Hey... Ed, pause, hold it, you're about to back step into a bear trap." She says, extending her arm out to stop him. "You may want to turn around... this place looks rather fortified." She added. It was barricaded, with a couple of big cars bottle necking to the doorway and they weren't even close to the door yet, perhaps a good six feet or so due to the number of traps! "Someone was busy today..." She added.

Carrie Taylor wrote:She looked at them with a slight annoyed look, before she handed them back. "I won't need them... they're too ineffective for me, give me a combat knife however... then we'll get somewhere. Besides, its not like they run, it be a different story if that was the case." She says before he showed off his strength again. "Hey! what I say about showing your strength? You're gonna freak out survivors with that..." She whispered with a sigh. She turned to the shop in question, and obviously Ed had not give the gun store a proper glance over... then again, it was pretty big.

"Hey... Ed, pause, hold it, you're about to back step into a bear trap." She says, extending her arm out to stop him. "You may want to turn around... this place looks rather fortified." She added. It was barricaded, with a couple of big cars bottle necking to the doorway and they weren't even close to the door yet, perhaps a good six feet or so due to the number of traps! "Someone was busy today..." She added.  

Ed stopped, and looked behind him where Carrie had indicated, and his face soured a little. "Hmm..." he murmured, and scanned the situation. He hoped they had enough time to navigate this before the infected wandered back towards them. "I smell... fear." Ed said, distinctly sensing distress coming from behind the barricaded door.

"We do not have time to be delicate. The survivors need these weapons, and they need them now." Edgar began to pull up and disarm the beartraps and other fortifications. He didn't damage anything, as some of these devices may prove useful, but he was not delicate.

As he moved forward, he had to move some of the wreckage of the vehicles aside. Doing so as quietly as such a task could allow. "Hrmmmm! Damn noise!" he hissed out.

The standard infected may not run, but if they got too close, and in high numbers, they would be a problem, and Carrie realized that as Ed tried to stealthily manipulate the vehicle. "Okay, hold on big guy, I'll help." She says, pushing her back into it. She needed a new set of clothes... the dress was sexy, but not cutting it right now. Sexy was not what she needed, she needed her damn fatigues and perhaps a machine gun! Not to mention, her knife.

Carrie Taylor wrote:The standard infected may not run, but if they got too close, and in high numbers, they would be a problem, and Carrie realized that as Ed tried to stealthily manipulate the vehicle. "Okay, hold on big guy, I'll help." She says, pushing her back into it. She needed a new set of clothes... the dress was sexy, but not cutting it right now. Sexy was not what she needed, she needed her damn fatigues and perhaps a machine gun! Not to mention, her knife.

"Thank you" Ed said as they finally shifted the wreckage from the doorway and finally approached the reinforced door unimpeded. "Now, I get the feeling that there might be at least one survivor in here. If there is anyone in there, they are likely armed and really scared..." Ed explained. He was about to reach for the door, but stopped as he remembered something Carrie mentioned when he inadvertently ripped the doorlock off the clothing shop door. "You said you had something for the doors?"

Edgar Holden wrote:

Carrie Taylor wrote:The standard infected may not run, but if they got too close, and in high numbers, they would be a problem, and Carrie realized that as Ed tried to stealthily manipulate the vehicle. "Okay, hold on big guy, I'll help." She says, pushing her back into it. She needed a new set of clothes... the dress was sexy, but not cutting it right now. Sexy was not what she needed, she needed her damn fatigues and perhaps a machine gun! Not to mention, her knife.

"Thank you" Ed said as they finally shifted the wreckage from the doorway and finally approached the reinforced door unimpeded. "Now, I get the feeling that there might be at least one survivor in here. If there is anyone in there, they are likely armed and really scared..." Ed explained. He was about to reach for the door, but stopped as he remembered something Carrie mentioned when he inadvertently ripped the doorlock off the clothing shop door. "You said you had something for the doors?"

She smirked. "No prob..." she wiped her forehead, before turning to the door, and back to Ed. "Yeah," she winks, reaching between her cleavage, pulling out a set of lockpicks. "These little guys should help." She smirks, kneeling down, and began to pick the lock. She was quiet, not wanting to startle the one inside, especially more so because said building was a gunshop! "So... how do you know that there's someone inside, Ed?" She asked, curious.

Ed Smirked a little as he leaned over to watch what Carrie was doing. "A few reasons. One, these traps are recent, and carefully arranged. With that in mind, the second reason is that it's a Gun Store, and if anyone is going to survive an initial wave of these infected, it's going to be someone well armed. And three.... Well, lets just say these ears and nose do more than frame my face."

Edgar Holden wrote:Ed Smirked a little as he leaned over to watch what Carrie was doing. "A few reasons. One, these traps are recent, and carefully arranged. With that in mind, the second reason is that it's a Gun Store, and if anyone is going to survive an initial wave of these infected, it's going to be someone well armed. And three.... Well, lets just say these ears and nose do more than frame my face."

Carrie nodded. "I see... high perception is an understatement when it comes to you." She chuckled, feeling the lock's tumblers fall into place bit by bit, being as stealthy as possible while doing it. "You remind me of my older brother, in that regard, he has high perception as well... not my twin, Robert though. He gets distracted easily." she replied, softly chuckling to herself. "I hope they're okay in this... mess. I may have told you that Robert works at the private school across the river. My other brother works at a bar on the opposite side of the city."

"If they are alive, we'll get to them. Hopefully they and as many survivors as possible are making their way to the police station... That's the only logical place besides maybe City Hall to hole up until we can find a way out of the Quarantine zone." Ed replied.

He looked around the street again, and started getting a tingling feeling in the back of his neck. This caused his eyes to gently illuminate a ruby light slightly for a moment. "I feel something... familiar..."



Ed once again gazed towards the park, and the lake. It was faint, but he felt... something he could not describe. Something that was not there before.

Edgar Holden wrote:"If they are alive, we'll get to them. Hopefully they and as many survivors as possible are making their way to the police station... That's the only logical place besides maybe City Hall to hole up until we can find a way out of the Quarantine zone." Ed replied.

He looked around the street again, and started getting a tingling feeling in the back of his neck. This caused his eyes to gently illuminate a ruby light slightly for a moment. "I feel something... familiar..."



Ed once again gazed towards the park, and the lake. It was faint, but he felt... something he could not describe. Something that was not there before.

"Yeah... I'm sure we will..." She said in either a hesitant or busy tone, probably the latter as she was studiously working on picking the lock. Carrie felt another one of the tumblers fall into place, before she looked back and up at the big guy, feeling compelled by goosebumps on the back of her neck. "Hm? Say something?" She asked.

CLICK~

The door's lock released, and Carrie turned her head back to the door again with a smile. "All right, we're in!" She whispered. Due to the bow windows flanking her, she realized she couldn't open the door in a tactical manner, but slowly began to try the handle and push the door open...

Riley watched as the door's lock was picked! Whoever they are, they were asking for trouble. As they began to test the lock, Riley clears her throat. The gravelly sound of her voice reached the intruders, before she made her declaration: "FREEZE!"

There was a pause, and she leaned into the stock of her Auto-5. "There is a loaded 12 gauge pointed at the door! Back away slowly and you'll won't get shot, got it?!" She warned the survivors.

Edgar's head snapped back towards the door, before the light of his eyes returned to normal. "Whoa there little lady. We mean no harm. But if you fire that thing now, you'll draw the biters right back to you. We're not here to hurt you - we're trying to get everyone out of the quarantine zone to safety. Including you." Edgar explained.

Carrie had stepped back from the door way, the door only becoming slightly ajar before Riley had given her threat. She couldn't see them... they couldn't see her. "Of course you don't mean me any harm, I'm inside a Goddamn gunstore!! But I will. I will harm you indeed if you intend to enter and raid my shop! I've got no supplies to hand out, so just be on your Goddamn way!" She shouted, her voice slightly wavering. She didn't want to kill another person... another zombie or rabid dog! She was staying put, like her gut told her to. "We can't afford... I'm not going anywhere! So close the damn door or I'll fucking shoot, you hear me?!" She screamed.

Carrie stepped further back, hand on her stainless Beretta inside her purse. "Jeeze... she's lost her damn mind." She says softly, her eyes not leaving the door. "Hey, there's worse things than being robbed when people are trying to eat you left and right; there's more than just the damn cannibals and pets running around hurting people, I got swallowed up by a man-frog thing by the lake! If not for my friend here, Ed, I'd be dead right now! However we don't have the weapons for this kind of shit. There's strength in numbers, we'll travel together and regroup with the other survivors, you won't last if you stay out here!" She spat back. Part of her was simply ready to shoot the bitch for being stupid, but she held back for Ed's sake, but her patience was wearing thinner than her dress!

Riley MacLeed wrote:Carrie had stepped back from the door way, the door only becoming slightly ajar before Riley had given her threat. She couldn't see them... they couldn't see her. "Of course you don't mean me any harm, I'm inside a Goddamn gunstore!! But I will. I will harm you indeed if you intend to enter and raid my shop! I've got no supplies to hand out, so just be on your Goddamn way!" She shouted, her voice slightly wavering. She didn't want to kill another person... another zombie or rabid dog! She was staying put, like her gut told her to. "We can't afford... I'm not going anywhere! So close the damn door or I'll fucking shoot, you hear me?!" She screamed.  

Carrie Taylor wrote:Carrie stepped further back, hand on her stainless Beretta inside her purse. "Jeeze... she's lost her damn mind." She says softly, her eyes not leaving the door. "Hey, there's worse things than being robbed when people are trying to eat you left and right; there's more than just the damn cannibals and pets running around hurting people, I got swallowed up by a man-frog thing by the lake! If not for my friend here, Ed, I'd be dead right now! However we don't have the weapons for this kind of shit. There's strength in numbers, we'll travel together and regroup with the other survivors, you won't last if you stay out here!" She spat back. Part of her was simply ready to shoot the bitch for being stupid, but she held back for Ed's sake, but her patience was wearing thinner than her dress!

Ed shook his head at Carrie and raised his hand a little to stop her from firing. "She hasn't lost her mind," he said loud enough to be heard. "But she is very scared. I believe that in the panic of the outbreak, some of the other citizens, in an attempt to arm themselves against the infected, some of them may have robbed and attempted to attack her."

Ed turned to Riley through the door. "Would that be accurate ma'am?"

Then he went on. "Now, listen. I know you've had a traumatic experience. As has Ms. Carrie here, as you just overheard. From what I've been able to gather, the entire city, and much of the surrounding countryside is in the same condition. That being said, your supplies will only last you so long in there. Eventually food, fresh water, and medical supplies will dry up. And then there's the other, larger issue."

Ed's voice lowered an octave as his bright green eyes lowered. "How long will it take before the Military determines that Raccoon City needs to be sterilised?" The tall man let that thought sink in. "Do you want to stay here for that ma'am? Because I don't think any other survivor remaining in this city would, if they are sane."

Ed knelt down slightly. "Our plan is to gather as many survivors, supplies, weapons and provisions as we can in the Raccoon Police Department, then, we try to find a way to get out of the Quarantine Zone before we are all killed by the mutants and monsters in this city, or by our own government when it decides this plague, whatever it is, is too dangerous."

BANG!

Pellets tore up the carpet chips of tile and green fibres pulled up and flecked the heavy door, protecting the man named Ed and the 'Ms. Carrie' from debris and stray shot. "...I said I ain't leavin' my shop, Mister. If there are monsters... monsters like she said there is, then I don't wanna leave. This is me and my father's livelihood here! I can't let anyone steal from us again, you want guns, how about you go to the Police Station, ask them for a withdraw as they took nearly half our stock a few weeks back!" She spat, her heart racing. His words about this being a plague, of the military's lack of a presence, possibly due to the severity of the situation in the city did sit on her mind, but how was she supposed to trust these two anyway? They could be trying to trick her, catch her off guard and steal the shop's armament! "Now go! I won't give ya another fucking chance!"

Riley MacLeed wrote:BANG!

Pellets tore up the carpet chips of tile and green fibres pulled up and flecked the heavy door, protecting the man named Ed and the 'Ms. Carrie' from debris and stray shot. "...I said I ain't leavin' my shop, Mister. If there are monsters... monsters like she said there is, then I don't wanna leave. This is me and my father's livelihood here! I can't let anyone steal from us again, you want guns, how about you go to the Police Station, ask them for a withdraw as they took nearly half our stock a few weeks back!" She spat, her heart racing. His words about this being a plague, of the military's lack of a presence, possibly due to the severity of the situation in the city did sit on her mind, but how was she supposed to trust these two anyway? They could be trying to trick her, catch her off guard and steal the shop's armament! "Now go! I won't give ya another fucking chance!"

The shot made Carrie instinctively yank out her gun. "Jesus Christ..." she growled. "She's a fucking greedy dragon hoarding those weapons, Ed..." She spat, before leaning towards the door. "Hey, bitch, how about you drop the dramatics and just fucking let us help you! Your livelihood? You think this shop's going to even be here when the rest of those damn monsters come through?! You're being a selfish, cowardly brat who's going to throw her life away for a handful of guns and a desiccated shop! Your living life's gotta be more important than this trash heap!"

Riley MacLeed wrote:BANG!Pellets tore up the carpet chips of tile and green fibres pulled up and flecked the heavy door, protecting the man named Ed and the 'Ms. Carrie' from debris and stray shot. "...I said I ain't leavin' my shop, Mister. If there are monsters... monsters like she said there is, then I don't wanna leave. This is me and my father's livelihood here! I can't let anyone steal from us again, you want guns, how about you go to the Police Station, ask them for a withdraw as they took nearly half our stock a few weeks back!" She spat, her heart racing. His words about this being a plague, of the military's lack of a presence, possibly due to the severity of the situation in the city did sit on her mind, but how was she supposed to trust these two anyway? They could be trying to trick her, catch her off guard and steal the shop's armament! "Now go! I won't give ya another fucking chance!"

Carrie Taylor wrote:The shot made Carrie instinctively yank out her gun. "Jesus Christ..." she growled. "She's a fucking greedy dragon hoarding those weapons, Ed..." She spat, before leaning towards the door. "Hey, bitch, how about you drop the dramatics and just fucking let us help you! Your livelihood? You think this shop's going to even be here when the rest of those damn monsters come through?! You're being a selfish, cowardly brat who's going to throw her life away for a handful of guns and a desiccated shop! Your living life's gotta be more important than this trash heap!"

Edward winced as the shot rang out. He shook his head at Carrie again. "Carrie, that's not going to help right now... Ma'am, if I wanted to hurt you, I would not be talking to you, I would have simply used that car bonnet to battering ram my way right through the door and right into you without having to worry about your buckshot in the least. Now, as I said, your experience has been rough, I'm sure. As you no doubt heard, Carrie was swallowed alive by some freak mutant from the lake that looked like some sort of bloated warty blistered toad. She would have died if I had not killed the damn thing with my bare hands and gutted it to get her out of it's stomach. As for myself, I LITERALLY woke up about 20 minutes ago, in nothing but my hair and skin in the middle of the woods. I have no idea who I am, where I am, or what the fuck is going on. All I know, is that I don't want to die in this plague infested hell hole, nor do I want to see anyone else die right in front of me if I can do anything about it."

Ed took a deep breath. "I would not be a kind person if I left you behind to die here all alone... And it would be irresponsible of us all to leave potential weapons behind to rust in this place to be destroyed when they bomb this place, which is why I'm asking you to help us bring your guns to the other survivors, because at least that way, they are being put to use in protecting the remaining normal people enough to get out of here. If you are worried about compensation, don't worry. I promise, I will help you as I can. I know weapons, and how to make them.... I don't know how I know, but I know them." He sighed as he said the next words. "I have no physical way of proving to you that I am telling you the truth. All I can give you is my word, and my life. Is that proof enough?"

Edgar Holden wrote:

Riley MacLeed wrote:BANG!Pellets tore up the carpet chips of tile and green fibres pulled up and flecked the heavy door, protecting the man named Ed and the 'Ms. Carrie' from debris and stray shot. "...I said I ain't leavin' my shop, Mister. If there are monsters... monsters like she said there is, then I don't wanna leave. This is me and my father's livelihood here! I can't let anyone steal from us again, you want guns, how about you go to the Police Station, ask them for a withdraw as they took nearly half our stock a few weeks back!" She spat, her heart racing. His words about this being a plague, of the military's lack of a presence, possibly due to the severity of the situation in the city did sit on her mind, but how was she supposed to trust these two anyway? They could be trying to trick her, catch her off guard and steal the shop's armament! "Now go! I won't give ya another fucking chance!"

Carrie Taylor wrote:The shot made Carrie instinctively yank out her gun. "Jesus Christ..." she growled. "She's a fucking greedy dragon hoarding those weapons, Ed..." She spat, before leaning towards the door. "Hey, bitch, how about you drop the dramatics and just fucking let us help you! Your livelihood? You think this shop's going to even be here when the rest of those damn monsters come through?! You're being a selfish, cowardly brat who's going to throw her life away for a handful of guns and a desiccated shop! Your living life's gotta be more important than this trash heap!"

Edward winced as the shot rang out. He shook his head at Carrie again. "Carrie, that's not going to help right now... Ma'am, if I wanted to hurt you, I would not be talking to you, I would have simply used that car bonnet to battering ram my way right through the door and right into you without having to worry about your buckshot in the least. Now, as I said, your experience has been rough, I'm sure. As you no doubt heard, Carrie was swallowed alive by some freak mutant from the lake that looked like some sort of bloated warty blistered toad. She would have died if I had not killed the damn thing with my bare hands and gutted it to get her out of it's stomach. As for myself, I LITERALLY woke up about 20 minutes ago, in nothing but my hair and skin in the middle of the woods. I have no idea who I am, where I am, or what the fuck is going on. All I know, is that I don't want to die in this plague infested hell hole, nor do I want to see anyone else die right in front of me if I can do anything about it."

Ed took a deep breath. "I would not be a kind person if I left you behind to die here all alone... And it would be irresponsible of us all to leave potential weapons behind to rust in this place to be destroyed when they bomb this place, which is why I'm asking you to help us bring your guns to the other survivors, because at least that way, they are being put to use in protecting the remaining normal people enough to get out of here. If you are worried about compensation, don't worry. I promise, I will help you as I can. I know weapons, and how to make them.... I don't know how I know, but I know them." He sighed as he said the next words. "I have no physical way of proving to you that I am telling you the truth. All I can give you is my word, and my life. Is that proof enough?"

Riley winced at both of their speeches. She didn't trust them, yet this was the most she's spoken all day. She wondered if she had met them earlier, would she have been willing to follow them? She frowned. "There's no guarantee they'll bomb this city... thats just shit you see in the movies! But... I suppose... I can do a trade." She says, lowering the shotgun. "C'mon... enter, I won't shoot... but betray my trust I will kill you on sight." She says, keeping the gun down, yet still pointed at the door. She was curious what the survivors of this 'plague' looked like after nearly 12 hours since it all began.

They would see the shop had been mostly scavenged and re-purposed, a couch was now in the middle of the open room, shelves were broken apart, used for building the barricades in the windows. She relit the candle on the counter of the shop, revealing more of the room in the gentle glow of the flame. Several rifles were on said counter she was standing behind, a few of the weapons she had were also on the wall to their left as they entered. Handguns still inside their glass display under the rifles lain out on the counter. Military clothing, supplies and the like were piled in the corner of the room. The pair could make out blood was on the green carpet, drag marks leading out the front of the shop where they had entered.

Carrie was ready to defend them both, when she hears a change of heart in the frightened gun store clerk's voice. She kept her gun pointed up, both hands around the grip of the beretta as she cautiously enters alongside Ed. Her clicking heels became muffled as she stepped on the carpet, the small light of the candle illuminating the room a little. "Huh... this place is desiccated..." She disquieted by the blood stains, the other bullet holes in the walls and in the back of the door. "I see business is booming." She says, her gun lowered, her free hand touching a bullet hole in the wall, before glancing over to the woman. She was a ginger, which meant that they were lucky she didn't just kill them straight up; you know, Gingers had no souls and all. She wasn't crazy enough to say that, the look in her eyes... Carrie knew she was teetering as it was.

Riley MacLeed wrote:Riley winced at both of their speeches. She didn't trust them, yet this was the most she's spoken all day. She wondered if she had met them earlier, would she have been willing to follow them? She frowned. "There's no guarantee they'll bomb this city... thats just shit you see in the movies! But... I suppose... I can do a trade." She says, lowering the shotgun. "C'mon... enter, I won't shoot... but betray my trust I will kill you on sight." She says, keeping the gun down, yet still pointed at the door. She was curious what the survivors of this 'plague' looked like after nearly 12 hours since it all began.

They would see the shop had been mostly scavenged and re-purposed, a couch was now in the middle of the open room, shelves were broken apart, used for building the barricades in the windows. She relit the candle on the counter of the shop, revealing more of the room in the gentle glow of the flame. Several rifles were on said counter she was standing behind, a few of the weapons she had were also on the wall to their left as they entered. Handguns still inside their glass display under the rifles lain out on the counter. Military clothing, supplies and the like were piled in the corner of the room. The pair could make out blood was on the green carpet, drag marks leading out the front of the shop where they had entered.

Carrie Taylor wrote:Carrie was ready to defend them both, when she hears a change of heart in the frightened gun store clerk's voice. She kept her gun pointed up, both hands around the grip of the beretta as she cautiously enters alongside Ed. Her clicking heels became muffled as she stepped on the carpet, the small light of the candle illuminating the room a little. "Huh... this place is desiccated..." She disquieted by the blood stains, the other bullet holes in the walls and in the back of the door. "I see business is booming." She says, her gun lowered, her free hand touching a bullet hole in the wall, before glancing over to the woman. She was a ginger, which meant that they were lucky she didn't just kill them straight up; you know, Gingers had no souls and all. She wasn't crazy enough to say that, the look in her eyes... Carrie knew she was teetering as it was.

Edgar slowly cracked the door open, and let Carrie in. He turned to answer the red haired woman. His towering frame almost clipping the roof. "Actually... No. You see, firebombing this city is the surest way to prevent this epidemic from becoming a pandemic. Imagine what would happen if this infection managed to breach containment and spread. There would be no stopping it if it was given enough time to mutate and get airborne. Given the rate of spread, and the speed of the mutations appearing... If I would guess... I think the Military would authorize a full saturation firebombing if the city in no more than 72 hours - three days time from the first signs of infection. I say this because I don't think this is some natural infection... This looks like something deliberate."

Then, Edgar closed the door behind Carrie and deadbolted it, he thought about sliding one of the heavier cabinets in front of the door, but he didn't know if there was another entry or exit to this place yet, and he had to find out what this woman wanted from him first. "Okay ma'am, what are your terms?"

Edgar Holden wrote:

Riley MacLeed wrote:Riley winced at both of their speeches. She didn't trust them, yet this was the most she's spoken all day. She wondered if she had met them earlier, would she have been willing to follow them? She frowned. "There's no guarantee they'll bomb this city... thats just shit you see in the movies! But... I suppose... I can do a trade." She says, lowering the shotgun. "C'mon... enter, I won't shoot... but betray my trust I will kill you on sight." She says, keeping the gun down, yet still pointed at the door. She was curious what the survivors of this 'plague' looked like after nearly 12 hours since it all began.

They would see the shop had been mostly scavenged and re-purposed, a couch was now in the middle of the open room, shelves were broken apart, used for building the barricades in the windows. She relit the candle on the counter of the shop, revealing more of the room in the gentle glow of the flame. Several rifles were on said counter she was standing behind, a few of the weapons she had were also on the wall to their left as they entered. Handguns still inside their glass display under the rifles lain out on the counter. Military clothing, supplies and the like were piled in the corner of the room. The pair could make out blood was on the green carpet, drag marks leading out the front of the shop where they had entered.

Carrie Taylor wrote:Carrie was ready to defend them both, when she hears a change of heart in the frightened gun store clerk's voice. She kept her gun pointed up, both hands around the grip of the beretta as she cautiously enters alongside Ed. Her clicking heels became muffled as she stepped on the carpet, the small light of the candle illuminating the room a little. "Huh... this place is desiccated..." She disquieted by the blood stains, the other bullet holes in the walls and in the back of the door. "I see business is booming." She says, her gun lowered, her free hand touching a bullet hole in the wall, before glancing over to the woman. She was a ginger, which meant that they were lucky she didn't just kill them straight up; you know, Gingers had no souls and all. She wasn't crazy enough to say that, the look in her eyes... Carrie knew she was teetering as it was.

Edgar slowly cracked the door open, and let Carrie in. He turned to answer the red haired woman. His towering frame almost clipping the roof. "Actually... No. You see, firebombing this city is the surest way to prevent this epidemic from becoming a pandemic. Imagine what would happen if this infection managed to breach containment and spread. There would be no stopping it if it was given enough time to mutate and get airborne. Given the rate of spread, and the speed of the mutations appearing... If I would guess... I think the Military would authorize a full saturation firebombing if the city in no more than 72 hours - three days time from the first signs of infection. I say this because I don't think this is some natural infection... This looks like something deliberate."

Then, Edgar closed the door behind Carrie and deadbolted it, he thought about sliding one of the heavier cabinets in front of the door, but he didn't know if there was another entry or exit to this place yet, and he had to find out what this woman wanted from him first. "Okay ma'am, what are your terms?"

She looked at the pair with a bemused expression. A woman in a cocktail dress? She didn't know what they were called, but she looked very womanly. She had a beretta 92 Inox in her hand... not a bad handgun, somewhat more expensive due to the stainless nature of the frame and slide. The man with her was a fucking giant. He had to be nearly 7 foot tall, with his head bowing slightly as he stood in the shop's main floor. They were both built as well, muscular and athletic in appearance. A dangerous pair. Riley shook her head as he closed and locked the door behind them. "I said you can come in, not stay." She sighed, shaking her head. "Whatever. As a gun owner, I agree, our government can be retarded, but I don't think they'd willingly do that without trying to send us relief." She shook her head and grumbled. "-anyway, that's not the issue." She says, loading a shell into her shotgun. "I told ya already, most of the shop is at the damn police station's evidence locker, we suffered a break in a couple weeks ago by a pair of thugs." She says this sourly, not mentioning she forgot to lock the door and her father suffered a heart attack and was in Chicago now because of her... She closed her eyes briefly, when she reopened them she opened her arms. "Look, this is my livelihood, and I'm not going to leave it. You want guns? Well you're going to have to earn'em." She says, tapping the counter. "I'm protected in here, its my element. I'm not going to gallivant across Hells creation with He-Man and and Shannen Doherty..." She began, before holding her forehead, pulling her strands of ginger from her eyes. She turned away, and looked down, covering her eyes.

Riley MacLeed wrote:She looked at the pair with a bemused expression. A woman in a cocktail dress? She didn't know what they were called, but she looked very womanly. She had a beretta 92 Inox in her hand... not a bad handgun, somewhat more expensive due to the stainless nature of the frame and slide. The man with her was a fucking giant. He had to be nearly 7 foot tall, with his head bowing slightly as he stood in the shop's main floor. They were both built as well, muscular and athletic in appearance. A dangerous pair. Riley shook her head as he closed and locked the door behind them. "I said you can come in, not stay." She sighed, shaking her head. "Whatever. As a gun owner, I agree, our government can be retarded, but I don't think they'd willingly do that without trying to send us relief." She shook her head and grumbled. "-anyway, that's not the issue." She says, loading a shell into her shotgun. "I told ya already, most of the shop is at the damn police station's evidence locker, we suffered a break in a couple weeks ago by a pair of thugs." She says this sourly, not mentioning she forgot to lock the door and her father suffered a heart attack and was in Chicago now because of her... She closed her eyes briefly, when she reopened them she opened her arms. "Look, this is my livelihood, and I'm not going to leave it. You want guns? Well you're going to have to earn'em." She says, tapping the counter. "I'm protected in here, its my element. I'm not going to gallivant across Hells creation with He-Man and and Shannen Doherty..." She began, before holding her forehead, pulling her strands of ginger from her eyes. She turned away, and looked down, covering her eyes.

"Relief? That'd only apply if they believed there were survivors in here. And as I said, I HOPE they are not the ones who dumped this plague on us in the first place... There's no natural contagion I can think of that would cause this." he said as he removed his hat.

"If you stay in this shop when those bombs fall, you'll lose more than the shop, you will lose your life too. But.... it's your choice. We will not force you to come with us. You much choose whether or not you wish to live or die here."

"Now, how do you want me to 'Earn them?' as you put it?"